Poultry feeder



L W. ROOK POULTRY FEEDER Sept. l, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 24, 1950 Louis I6'. Raak Y -BY i MVM.,

Sept. 1, 1953 1 w, ROOK 2,650,566

POULTRY FEEDER Filed Jan. 24, 1950 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Laws W Roo/f INVENToR.

BY @f5/.

Patented Sept. l, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ICE Louis W. Rook, Catarina, Tex. Application January 24, 195o, serial No. 140,253

This invention relates to new and useful im- 1 provements in animal feeders, and more particularly pertains to a feeder having a feed hopper and a feed agitator, the actuation of which is responsive to animals feeding therefrom.

The primary object of this invention is to dispense feed from a source of supply to a position lending access thereto by poultry or the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of this character, in which the dispensing of the feed may be controlled and the mass of feed is agitated to ensure feed being dispensed therefrom and to prevent caking of the same.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of this character, in which advantage may be taken of the natural propensities of poultry or the like to` agitate the feed in the feed hopper.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device capable of realizing the foregoing objects, which will be sanitary and secure against contamination of the feed by animal droppings or the like.

A meritorious feature of the present invention resides in the agitator and the perches being rockably mounted and the connecting means therebetween, whereby rocking of the perches by poultry actuates rocking movement of the agitator in the feed hopper.

Another feature of the invention resides in the details of construction of the hopper and the trough, whereby the feed coming from the hopper is divided into two streams, and the position of the agitator being such as to prevent jamming or bridging of the feed stream division.

Still another feature of the present invention resides in the means controlling the size of the openings communicating with the interior of the hopper.

A nal important feature to be specifically enumerated herein resides in the agitator and the means for mounting the same together with the provision of means normally resiliently retaining the agitator in a neutral position.

These, together with various ancillary features and objects of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by the present invention, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of\the poultry feeder;

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the poultry feeder taken substantially midway between the ends thereof.

3 Claims. (Cl. 11B-53.5)

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the means provided for normally resiliently retaining the agitator in the neutral position;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the poultry feeder, being taken substantially upon the plane of the section line 4--4 of Figure 2`;

Figure 5 is an enlarged broken vertical, longitudinal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane of the section line 5 5, of Figure 2; and,

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view partially in section of a means provided for controlling the communication with the interior of the feed hopper.

Reference is now made more specifically to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the various views. and in which the poultry feeder is designated generally by the numeral I0.

As best shown in Figures 1 and 2, the feeder l0 comprises a trough I2, a hopper I4,` and a re movable roof or cover I6 for the hopper I4.

The hopper I4 includes a pair of side walls I8, which adjacent their upper ends converge upwardly in spaced relation to support the ridged roof IE, to the latter of which along the ridge thereof is secured a toothed strip 2|] for preventing poultry perching upon the roof I 6. The lower edges of the roof I6 project outwardly from the side walls IB and constitute protecting eaves for the hopper I4 and the trough I2.

Below the upwardly converging portions 22 vof the side walls in engagement with the roof I6, the side walls I 8 converge downwardly, being bent as at 24 to provide portions 2B which are more abruptly convergent adjacent the lower edge of the side walls I8.

The lower edges of the portions 26 are spaced so that the bottom of the hopper I4 is open, and the trough I2 is disposed directly beneath the open bottom of the hopper I4, which trough I2 includes a bottom wall 28 and upwardly and outwardly sloping side walls 3l) the upper edges of which are inturned as at 32 for a purpose to presently appear. Longitudinally of the trough I2, the bottom wall 28 thereof is bent upwardly to form an inverted V-shaped ridge 34 that extends upwardly towards the open bottom of the hopper I4, so as to divide feed, not shown, descending from the hopper I4 into separate streams directed towards the trough side Walls 30.

The ends of the trough I2 and the hopper I4 are closed by plates or end walls 36 which are suitably attached thereto, and which extend downwardly, as at 38, to support both the trough I2 and the hopper I4 as well as the roof I6. Y

Secured to the lower edge of the portions 26,

rods 56 of the strip 44 extending longitudinally from the ends of the strip 44 through suitable-.-

apertures in the end walls 36 and are bent adjacent their opposite extremities tosform. han-f. dles 52 for longitudinal slidingk adjustment of the strips 44 for adjusting the size of the registry of' openings 46.

Means is provided to agitate the contents of the feed hopper, L4, which. includes a, rock shaft 5fland-spaoedlaterally extending agitator fingers l 56 carried by the rock shaft 54. The rock shaft 5.4i extends.: 1o.Iigitiidinallvy of the troughl l2@ and is'. suitably mounted forv rocking, aboutaflong-itue dinal axis; in bearingsv 63F that arek suitably. se,-` curedz tothe. ridged portion 3,4, of'. the trough; I2 by Vs,haped biackets 6,6., as best shown in Figa uros. 2, and. 5. The rock shaft 54. is. journalled through suitable apertures in the end walls; 36, and, at, its, opposite ends1 is provided; with. cranks 61 and, '64, for; rocking the same. AF coil torsion spring; 6o embraces.- the rock shaft 5.o.. adjacent one end thereof, havingV one end suitably se. tilted to the. adjacent enel Wall 3,6 and the other end` suitably secured.- to the rock sha-ft 54v as by extending through; openings.- 68.. and lllin. the end wall 3.5.. and rook shaft. 5,4 respectively, the arrangement being such thatlthengers. ieareenorf Inally? yieldingly. retained. in a verticaly position extending upwardly. into thehopper i4.

Means, isI provided to rockv theY rocky shaft 54 l responsive to movements of poultry. feeding,4 f-rorn the trough.. L2, which includes. perch rails` l2.. and 14. which are rockably mounted. upon. opposite sides of the feeder Hl by means offv pins 'lli and 1.8, extending from opposite ends of the. perch rails and which are` rotatable. in suitable oper-f tures provided in. support brackets.y 3.0.. attached to` the-'end1 Walls 3.6. The pins 18. are bent., to form cranksfli2` and areconnected. by pitmans. 8 6

and 8,8,A toY the cranks 624 and. 6,4. respectively of the rock shaft- 5.4. As thus far described itwill bereadily apparentthatrookingmotion of either of thefpe'rch rails will beicommunicated through a pitrnan to. the rook Shaft 5.4. to, oscilla-tethe ngers 56 within the hopper i4, Although the spring. '66, will be normally suiiicient to. prevent such rotation of. therock shaft 5,4, agito allow a completer revolution of-theperch; rails. 1,2 and '1.47, in the preferred construction. the crank throw of the cranks carried bythe pench. railsV will be relatively greater than the. crank throw of the cranks. carried. by the rock shaft 5.4. to, prevent suchv an,A occurrence.

ltwill thiisbe seenv that poultry polished. upon the perchrails will und their footing suflieiently precarious. diie to. the. roekable mounting oi.- the perch iai-ls,A that in. their efforts to be seeure thereon willcause the.. perch rails, to rock and consequently the lingers 5.6 to. agitatethe teefl within. the: hopper L4 to. ensure, its delivery.I to the trough I2. It will be notedv that therqcking motion oi. the perch rail is greatly intensified when the-number ot poultryperched thereon. is. increased. due to their-individual; eitottsto Coin,- pensate for the movements. ot the others. and

that the movements of the perch rails is all the more unpredictable when poultry is per-ched on both of the rails, inasmuch as poultry disposed upon the opposite rails are concealed from each other and since the motion of either rail is communicated through the pitmans and the rock shaft to the other rail.

It will be further noted that; the inclination of thestrips- 42 and 44 perm-its poultry to readily feed through the openings 46 and that the side walls 30 and the inturned edges 32 prevent wastage, of feed dropped by the poultry, while the shape of the side walls I8 prevent poultry from becoming so positioned as to drop excrements into trough l2 so as to keep the same clean and free from contamination.

11awilli thus be seen that there has been provided a poultry feeder which will minimize the three primair sources. oi. loss. to.L poultrfyinen, pamela, disease, wastage of feed, and aiIureoi ponlteif.- to eat suiiioient. amounts of;Y proper feesie.l Diseaseffrom feeding is avoided by. the construc tion of the. feeder preventing oontamination of feed bv not permitting scratching in the` trough or droppings felling intol the. trough. Wastage of feed is; avoided by the. construction of: the feeder. openings not permitting poultry. to` throw leed with theirbeaks and the? trough, catching feedA that falls from thebeaks, Finally deteriora;Y tion offeed.- bil-oir to. cause the same. to become unpalatable.- as is. the. ease with. prepared eeds inl which. the grain. forming. the same. has been crackedr or ground, It, will be noted that, the feed is entirely enclosed Within the.- hopper, except for only.- that. portion of the same that is exposed by the poultry as it feeds bite by, bite, The. biteby bite. exposure of; fresh feed stimulates the appetite. of poultry. for rapidk growth, andv also prevents selection; of choice. morsels to, the exe olusionI of minerals,- and: othergrowth promoting and egg producing factors included in prepared feeds, wherebyv the poultry. is. directly. benefited and. the.. poult/ryrnan,V likewise. profits.

From the foregoing,4 the. construction op.-.. eration of the.; device? will he readily understood and tur-.ther explanation is believed to be. uli--V necessary. However, since nun-,ierousv modifica. tions andi Changes.. will readily oeour to; those skilled. in the. art. after a` consideration oi;- the. foregoing speeilieatipn and accompanying draw. legst it not. desiredl to. li-.rnit the invention to thefeXact construction shown and describedy but all suitablemodineations and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling- Within the scope oi the ap- Bonded. plaines.7

ige-.ving deseriped the-invention.. what is claimed as new is:

1. A poultry.- feeder comprising. a trough and a. hopper arranged: to discharge.- into.v said, trough, an agitatorin the hopperl and. nieails adapted... to heactuatedv by feeding poultry for actuating the agitatorisaid means.: including a. pair. of spaced perch supporti member-s fixed ii/ithI respect tol the hoppen. an elongated.. perch. extending between having oppositelr ex:

. .lys along the Central axis; et the pet-oh. said rn. nipers; lia-ving aligned apertures rotatably receiving said pins, oney of; saidV projecting through one of the members; and. being; formed with an offset portion to constitute a crank,- for the perch-1. and pitinan operatively.- eonnefotin the. crank. to the agita-ton.

2. A poultry feeder cornpzgieihg; a, hopper having open bottom. and downwaiidl-iiand .inwardly inclined side walls, a trough disposed below said hopper and having side walls and a bottom Wall, said hopper side Walls extending into the trough in spaced relation to the side Walls of the trough and resting on the bottom walls of the trough, end plates closing the ends of said trough and hopper, said bottom wall including an inverted, central, V-shaped ridge portion extending upwardly into the open bottom of the hopper for dividing the new of feed from the trough toward the trough side Walls, a feed agitator comprising a rock shaft having a plurality of spaced, vertically extending fingers, said shaft being rotatably mounted upon the apex of the ridge portion, and further dividing the ow of feed from the hopper, and perches on opposite sides of said trough and Secured to said end plates, said perohes being operatively connected to said agitator for rocking said roc-k shaft, said perehes serving as feeding platforms for the poultry.

3. The combination of claim 2, wherein said hopper side walls have notched openings therein 6 adjacent the trough bottom Wall, strips slidably mounted on said hopper side walls and having openings in registry With said notched openings whereby the amount of feed owing through the notched openings can be controlled by sliding movement of said strips.

LOUIS W. ROOK.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,233,464 Brown et al Nov. 5, 1918 1,530,101 Ashing Mar. 17, 1925 1,610,220 Olson Dec. 71926 1,812,166 Palmer June 30, 1931 1,881,820 McCollough et al. Oet. 11, 1932 2,357,698 Stafford Sept. 5, 1944 2,363,212 Wagner Nov. 21, 1944 2,475,070 Wood July 5, 1949 2,539,348 Gass Jan. 23, 1951 

